Shoe construction



Nov. '7, 1944.

JFQ.STRONG SHOE CONSTRUCTION File d J an. 21, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NTO J. Q. STRONG I ATTORNEY SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 21, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I dig/$1155 TRONG -ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1944 snort coNs'rnucrio Jules Q. Strong, Ladue,-Mo., assigno'rof fifty-five percent toC. W. Mathieson andfifteen per cent to P. H. Lamphere, both of Clayton, Mo.

Application January 21, 1942,' SerialjNo. 427,571, 1

2 Claims. (CI. 36-16). '2

f My invention relates to shoes and more particularly to a shoe construction in which a resilient member is embodied in the shoe 'toproduce a cushion between the foot of the wearer and'the outsole. V

One of the objects of my invention is to produde an improved cushioning mean for the sole of a shoe which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and embody in the shoe and which is so constructed that it can be embodied in any shoe regardless of the lasting method used in the shoe construction. Y

Another object of my invention is to construct acushioning means for a shoe which will embody asa unitary assembly a'resilientmember, a retaining means or shoulder laterally surrounding the resilient member, and a sock lining portion.

construct a ,unitary' assembly for use in shoe manufacture that it will embody both a resilient member and a sock liningwhich can be employed'either as a combined platform and insole in certain types of construction or as an insole only in other types of construction.

Yet another object of my invention is to construct a unitary assembly for. use in a shoe construction which will embody a resilient member, a retaining means, and a .sock lining so associated with each other that the retaining means can be made from a plurality of pieces instead of a-single piece having a cut-out portion for receiving the resilient member, thus resulting in a saving in material and a low cost of manufacture.

Another object of my invention is to so combine a resilient member and ock lining for a shoe that they can be employed as a platform to produce an improved stitchdown or equivalent type of shoe.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a bottom view showing the unitary assembly embodying my invention and including the resilient member, the retaining means or shoulder, and the sock lining portion; Figure 2 is a top view of the unitary assembly; Figure 3 is a view showing the construction of the resilient member and the retaining strips forming the shoulder; Figure 4 is a view of the sock lining portion prior to assembly; Figure 5 is aside view'of a shoe showing the manner in Still another object of my invention is to so which the unitary assembly can be embodied in one type of completed shoe; Figure 6 is a top cushioning function desired.

shorter. I effect 'for' the entire foot; J

In surrounding relation; tofithe resilient memberfis a retaining means, or shoulder shown as comprisingtwo strips 2 and 3., The inner edges view of the, toe (and of the shoe of Figure 5 ;1Figure 7 lsa sectional view taken'on the line 'll QffFig'ure'Sj Figure Sis a sectional view similar to Figure 7 showing a slightly different shoe constructionwherein the outsole is glued to the unitary assembly embodying the resilient member;

Figure 9 is another sectional View similar to Figure 7 but sh'owing the'uriitary assembly used as an insole; Figure 1,0 is a sectional view showing a modified unitary assembly; Figure 11 is aview showing a modified arrangement of the resilient member and retaining means or shoulder strips;

aridFigure 12Vis a sectional. view of a shoe con.- structed similar to that of Figure '8 but having an extra thickplatform. V @Beferring to the drawings and first to Figures 1 tofil', inclusive, the numeral I indicatesa res'ilient member which may be made from rubber, cork; felt or any other material giving the proper As shown, the shape of thisresilient member is similar to-that ofthe soleof va shoe but slightly narrower and Such a hape will give a cushioning oflthese:"strips are shaped to fit the marginal edge of the resilient member and the outer edges are sha'pe'dlto give the proper contourdepending upon how thea'ssembly is to be embodied in the finished sho'ej 'Thematerial from which these strips are mademust'b'e one having a firm body and also fairly hon-resilient but capable of some flexing; "ITypesIof materialwhich maybe employed are leather, pressed paper, cardboard, Pliepared material commonly used for insoles; or

other like material. Th urp g the retaim ing means isto prevent spreadingof the resilient material and to also produce a marginal portion havinghsuch body that other material such as the upperjofflthe shoe or the outer sole maybe attached thereto as byrstitchinglacing, nailing or gluing; Lhave shown only two strips as com,- prising the retaining means or shoulder but more may be,eniployed,: Such being indicated by, the

dotted line inFigure 3. It ,isalso possible to employ a single integralpiece asthe retaining means or shoulder and such usepis intended ,to comewithin the scope of certainfeatures ofmy invention but Iprefer to employ several pieces as suchpresultsin economy ofrma terial due toitri {facttha t thestrips maybe cuthfrorn smaller she ts, f ma r al and; withwbexqessii'e a te- Ifa single integral piece were employed, then -'ient member.

the cut-out portion replaced by the resilient material would be wasted. The thicknes of the strips may be the same as that of the resilient material or slightly thinner or greater as circumstances warrant.

Associated with the strips and the resilient member is a thin sheet of material 4 which is employed to hold the strips and the resilient member together to produce a unitary construction and also prevent the spreading or lateral separating of the resilient member and the strips. This thin sheet of material also takes the place of the sock lining in the finished shoe. The material employed for the thin sheet may beleather, cloth or any material which does not stretch. The shape of the sheet is similar to that of the resilient member and the strips when the latter are placed around said resilient member but is larger so that the marginal edge projec'tsbeyond the strips. The sheet is shown in Figures. The resilient member and strips, as shown in Figure '3, are placed on this sheet and secured thereto and to each other by a suitable glue or cement. The marginal portions f the sheet are then folded over the edges of the strips and glued, cemented or stitched to the strips on their faces opposite that adjacent the sheet. "To facilitate the folding operation .and to make a smooth securing job, the marginal portion of the .sheet is provided with suitable :cuts as shown. The bottom of the resulting assembly is shown in Figure 1 of the foot is desired to be cushioned, the heel portion 'of the resilient member may be "replaced by other material 'or'the "strips so cut as to take its place. Also, the central part of the resilient material may be replaced by other firmer material if desired. In Figure 11 there is shown a modified arrangement whereinthe resilient member I is only employed to cushion the forward part of the foot and the retaining strips 2' and 3' are so cut as to replace the heel portion. This construction also has its advantages when it is desired to attach heels by nailing as the strips present a better material to receive the nails.

Referring now to Figures 5, 6, and 7, there is disclosed a shoe in whichis embodied the unitary assembly just described and shown in Figures 1 and 4. This type of shoe is a sport model'which has an open toe and heelbut'itis 'to be understood that this showing is by way of example only as the use of the unitary assembly is not limited to any particular type of'shoe. The .shoe

comprises anupper '5, the unitary assembly 6, an outsole l, and aheel 8. In assembling the shoe "the bottom marginal "portion of the upper may be glued to the marginal portion of-the'top side of the unitary assembly which embodiesthe resil- Following this the outsole is spotted to the'bottom side of'theunitary assembly. The next'operationis to stitch together the outer marginal portion-0f the upper, the unitary member, and the outsole by the stitching "9. The upper is thus fastened to the unitary member and the outsole by what is termed -a-stitch-down process. After this stitching operation, the heel is-then f-astenedto' the rear end or the outsole.

:is confined between the shoulder strips and also between the sheet 4 and the outsole l. The entire bottom of the foot of the wearer rests upon ,the resilient member and thus it is seen that there is a cushion means between the foot and theloutsole. .The result is a very comfortable shoe Which eliminates jars to the body during walking and also makes the shoe Very comforta- .ble'tov stand upon. The feet thus do not become tired as quickly as would be the case if no cushioning means were employed. Since the strips good body to which the lower marginal portion of the upper and the outsole can be stitched. In making the shoe of Figure 5, the outsole may be spotted to the bottom of the unitary assembly as the first step in the attachment of the outsole and then the upper sewed to the combined outsole and unitary assembly. This is an important method of assembly for it permits the outsole to be pre-trimmed and pro-inked before any attachment. Thus there results a saving in labor as the trimming and inking have previously been done after the outsole was attached to the upper.

In Figure "8 there is shown a slight modification wherein the-upper 5 is stitched only to the marginal portion of the unitary assembly 6 by stitches ill. The sole is secured to the bottom side of the unitary assembly only by suitable glue or cement. Due to the relativel firm body and non-yieldability of the strips 2 and 3, the stitching of the upper to the unitary member is permitted which would not be possible if these strips were not employed and-the resilient member only enclosed in the sheet '4. In placeofthestitching 9 shown in Figure '7 and the stitching l-ll shown in Figure '8, other securing means may be employed if desired such as, for example, lacing, tacking, or riveting. Lacing would be particularly adapted in the shoe construction shown in Figure 8, especially where it is desired to employ a very flexible outsole as, for example, in house-shoes or slippers. It is also to beunderstood that the type of outsole used is not limited to leather as it may be made of rope, rubber, and so forth.

In Figure 9 I have shown a cross-sectional view of a shoe construction wherein the unitary assembly E is employed as an insole for a shoe. In this construction the unitary assembly is placed upon the last and then the upper 5 is folded over the bottom of the unitary assembly 6 and the marginaledges secured to the marginal edges of sheet l which have already been turned over and glued to the bottom edges of strips 2 and 3 in forming the assembly 6. The outsole I is then secured to the unitary assembly 6 in the usual manner either by a suitable cement or stitchin Thus it'is-seen that in this method of shoe manufacture, the unitary assembly 6 acts as the usual insole and yet it embodies the yieldable material upon which the foot rests. There is no necessity for any sock lining as this is taken care of by the sheet *4 of the unitary assembly. If desired,

in this construction the bottom of the unitary assembly may have glued thereto a suitable shaped sheet of material II to fill in the space between the bottom of the yieldable material and the outsole, said space resulting from the interpositioning of the lower marginal portion of the upper between the bottom marginal portion of the unitary assembly 6 and the outsole. A similar construction is shown in Figure 10 but in this in stance the marginal edge of sheet [2 extends under the folded edges of sheet 4. By the use of such a sheet as l2 the parts JOf the unitary member are more firmly held together as both sheets 4 and I2 cooperate to hold the strips against the edge of the resilient material and prevent spreading Whenever pressure is placed on the resilient member. This sheet I2 may also be useful in assembling the resilient member and the strips as they can first be glued to such sheet. When the member and strips are so held together, the addition of the sheet 4 is facilitated as the positioning of the member and strip on sheet 4 is easier when held together than when they are separate pieces.

In all of the shoe constructions shown, if a shank piece is desired, it may be riveted in the usual manner to the inner surface of the outsole.

In Figure 12 is shown a sectional view of a shoe having a thick platform and embodying the unitary assembly 6''. The strips 2" and 3" are made of considerably thicker material than the resilient member I". Below the resilient member is positioned a filler member l3- of any suitable material, said member being cemented, glued, or otherwise attached to the resilient member. The sheet 4" holds the strips and resilient member together. The rest of the shoe construction is the same as shown in Figure 8 except that the outsole 1' may be thinner. The upper is stitched to the unitary assembly by stitches Hi".

When the strips 2" and 3" are thick, their flexibility may not be as great as desired, especially over that portion below the ball of the foot but this can be remedied by putting crosscuts' in the material of the strips.

From the foregoing description of my invention it is seen that there is combined in one assembly a cushioning agent, a sock lining, and a platform or insole structure. This single unit can be embodiedin the shoe by one operation regardless of the shoe construction employed. The unit thus results in considerable saving in cost of manufacture. Also, .by the use of strips to form the shoulder for the resilient member, many pieces can be employed which would otherwise be wasted material in cutting or dieing.

Being aware of the possibility of modifications in the particular structure herein described without departing from the fundamental principles of my invention, I do not intend that its scope be limited except as set forth by the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A shoe construction comprising an outsole, a platform and an upper all secured together, said platform being interposed between the outsole and the upper with the lower marginal portion of the upper turned outwardly and being secured in overlying relation to the top marginal surface of theplatform and said platform consisting of a sheet of resilient material, shoulder means of relatively firm and non-resilient material positioned around the edges of the resilient material to prevent spreading thereof, and a sheet of non-stretchable material secured to the top surfaces of the resilient material and the shoulder means and having its marginal portions folded over the shoulder means and secured to the bottom side thereof, said sheet forming the sock lining of the shoe and also a covering for the edges of the platform and said shoulder means forming a support to which the upper is secured with its width so related to the resilient material that no part of the side portion of the foot will rest thereon.

, 2. A shoe construction comprising an outsole, a platform and an upper all secured together, said platform being interposed between the outsole and the upper with the lower marginal portion of the upper turned outwardly and being secured in overlying relation to the top marginal surface of the platform and said platform consisting of a sheet of resilient material, shoulder means of relatively firm and non-resilient material positioned around the edges of the resilient material to prevent spreading thereof and forming non-resilient means for securing the upper -to the platform, and a sheet of non-stretchable material secured to the top surfaces of the resilient material and the top surface of the shoulder means.

. JULES Q. STRONG. 

